• Black-tie affair to raise funds for children experiencing homelessness

• Nonprofit to honor three community heroes

On May 4, Father Joe’s Villages will host the 35th annual Children’s Charity Gala to support life-changing services for children and families experiencing homelessness, spanning from preschool to medical care, on Saturday, May 4 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at the U.S. Grant, 326 Broadway, San Diego.

At the 2019 Children’s Charity Gala: Reach for the Stars, more than 400 people will gather at the U.S. Grant Hotel for an evening of cocktails, dinner and dancing to the tunes of local band Atomic Groove. At the event, three local heroes will accept awards for their commitment to helping San Diegans experiencing poverty and homelessness reach new heights.

“In addition to the normal trials of being a kid—succeeding in school, making friends—children experiencing homelessness can also face unique challenges such as food insecurity and possible developmental delays,” says Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. “The experts at our Therapeutic Childcare Center give children the opportunity to leave behind their struggles and dream big for their futures.”

According to research, children who are homeless are four times as likely to have delayed development and twice as likely to repeat a grade in school. To break the cycle of homelessness, the nonprofit puts an emphasis on providing critical care to children -- just as it did for nearly 1,200 children in 2018. Funds raised at this event will benefit programs for children experiencing homelessness such as Father Joe’s Villages’ fully licensed and accredited Therapeutic Childcare Center providing preschool and after-school programs and emergency and life-sustaining services like food, shelter and healthcare.

Three community heroes will be recognized that evening: Las Patronas will receive the Father Joe’s Villages Award, acknowledging those who exemplify Father Joe’s Villages’ creed of compassion, respect, empathy, empowerment and dignity; Terry Caster will receive the the Bishop Maher Award in memory of Barbara Claire Caster, presented to those who put the needs of the poor first. Barbara Claire Caster supported Father Joe’s Villages’ work financially and created her own nonprofit called Serving Hands International to further her mission to help end homelessness; Congregation Beth Israel’s Hunger Project will receive the Founder’s Award, in honor of those who have shown a longstanding commitment to Father Joe’s Villages’ foundation and vision. Volunteers with the Hunger Project serve lunch on Sunday mornings at Father Joe’s Villages.